How to stay healthy during allergy season

If you find yourself suffering from sneezing, itchy eyes, and pressure headaches every spring, welcome to the seasonal allergy club. Here are some common questions about pollen allergies — and how to survive them without losing your mind.

How do I know if I have allergies, a cold, or a sinus infection?

It can be tough to tell sometimes. Unlike allergies, a cold or respiratory infection often brings on a fever, so that’s a key indicator. If your nasal congestion clears up within one to two weeks, chances are you had a cold rather than allergies. Seasonal allergy symptoms tend to last three weeks or more, depending on the types of pollen you’re allergic to.

Is it possible to prevent allergies?

You can’t prevent seasonal allergy symptoms from occurring, but you can do things to minimize the impact of the symptoms on your quality of life. Here are some recommended steps you take before and during allergy season:

- Start a steroid nasal spray about four to six weeks ahead of pollen season.

- Stay indoors during peak pollen hours, such as mornings. On high-pollen days, stay indoors as much as possible.

- Do your seasonal cleaning before pollen’s in the air. You may still have to cope with dust allergies while cleaning, but at least you won’t have to deal with dust and pollen.

- Keep windows closed when pollen counts are high.

- Place air filters inside your air conditioning vents to prevent pollen from getting blown into your living space.

- Get a dehumidifier. These devices also filter the air in your home, which may help improve your indoor air quality.

- Remove outer garments outside and shake them off before bringing them indoors. Even though you may not be able to see pollen on your clothing, it’s there.

- Wash pollen down the drain by showering as soon as you get home. Pollen sticks to your hair and skin, so rinsing it off will help keep it out of your bed, carpet, and furniture.

Looking for reliable, cheap medical supplies and equipment that you can order online from the comfort of your own home? Supply Doctor is an online medical supply store that can supply you with anything from disposables and first aid equipment to AED machines and BP metres.\